Arsenal's German midfielder has given away his World Cup winnings to 23 young
people's surgeries as "a personal thank-you for the hospitality"

After helping Germany lift the World Cup midfilder Mesut Özil has captured the hearts of Brazilian youngsters, after revealing he has donated around £350,000 of his personal winnings to 23 children's surgeries in the South American country.

The Arsenal playmaker, 25, confirmed the news on his Facebook page, and wrote: "Prior to the ‪#‎WorldCup‬ I supported the surgery of eleven sick children. Since the victory of the #WorldCup is not only due to eleven players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23. this is my personal thank-you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil. ‪#‎Bigshoe‬ ‪#‎Brasil2014‬."

His donation sparked confusion on social media sites, with many claiming that his earnings were to be sent to the children of Gaza to aid their recent plight.

The rumours, which started to circulate on Twitter on July 11, led to his represenative, Roland Eitel, to deny them. "The claim that Mesut donated money to Gaza is not true," he said. "Maybe in the future, who knows? He donated money to causes in Brazil and he is now on holiday."